Saturday, June 21, 2014

Day 1: Fukuoka
MiFi or individual wifi devices that you take with you. I've seen them before but my husband has never seen them and was thrilled about them. I, however, was blown away but how cheap they are in Japan. $10-20 a MONTH! What a steal! Why have an internet router and a phone if you can get that and just use your iPod touch as a phone.

Day 2: Nagasaki
Let me tell you, there are lots of vending machines in Japan but NONE like this!
As we were walking down the street, something caught my eye about a certain vending machine. It has something floating inside the bottle and when I looked closer, it was a fish! I wigged out until I read that it was for dashi or soup base for noodles. Still pretty weird and when I told a host family about that, they were also shocked at our discovery.

Day 3: Hiroshima & Osaka
I've NEVER been that close to a deer in my life! They were cute and docile and I got to take a selfie with it! Yay!
We also went to an izakaya and had Fugu for the first time! Yay!

I almost forgot the best story yet!
So we went to Spa World and it was spectacular but the best part was the pool! I've not been on a waterslide in almost 15 years and my husband found out for the first time I hate rides. The first one freaked me and and so he said I didn't have to go on the second one if I didn't want to. WELL, since I was making him spend that evening naked with a bunch of strangers, I figured I can concede to one more ride. It turned out to be the best thing ever because despite my fear of rides, I felt like I was a part of a comedy because as we were practically hydroplaning down the stupid tube, there was an attendant that was SUPPOSED to stop us. In fact, he was braced and everything but we were coming down fast....REAL FAST and the look of shock and fear was priceless! We plowed RIGHT THROUGH him and he went down like a bowling ball pin and our floaty capsized! It was the funniest thing ever and I couldn't stop laughing and apparently so was everyone else! In a place that is normally reserved about embarrassing situations, they didn't hold back and their laughter was even more contagious! I think that was the best memory we've made yet!

Day 4: Osaka
Met with my friend again and went to an aquarium and saw the deep sea crabs for the first time ever! They were cool and the fact that they are kept alive in that tank was amazing.
I was also blown away by the sheer size of Osaka Castle because those pictures just don't do it justice! That building is not only old but it's HUGE! So are the walls and the planning that went into this structure was definitely awe inspiring even for this day and age.

Day 5: Nara
Ha! Just Deers! These deers had NOTHING on the ones in Miyajima Island/Temple. They are a fixture of Nara but they also rule that area and let you know. If you feed them, be prepared to defend yourself as they will be pushy, rub their antlers on you and also nip at you. At times they jumped up on their hind legs if you tried to hold the senbei away from them but these deer don't play that!
...Then again neither do I and a good shove will tell them to Fuck off until I tell them it's okay.
We also talked to some REALLY cute elementary school kids that gave us a short interview for their English class and they were the cutest things ever!

Day 6: Kyoto
Fushimi Inari! I LOVE that place and it was the only place that had so many Toori and had me enthralled until the very end!
We saw a few really great temples there as well but that place really stuck in my mind.

Day 7: Kyoto & Obama
Chance meet with a good friend from across the world! Sorta.
Found out she was going to Japan the same time that I was and we could meet up in Kyoto Station to catch up. Great Coincidence that just happen to have great timing!
My husband mentioned to our host in Obama that he's never seen a monkey outside of a zoo.
"...So, how does one find a monkey around here...Oh, my GOD! MONKEY!!!"
Just as he was asking about them, as if they heard his call, they were waiting for him at the side of the road as we drove past. The timing couldn't have been more perfect
I've also never seen a firefly and mentioned it to our host. He was gracious enough to show us his 'secret' Hotaru spot and shared his secret for attracting them. (hint: it involves your hazard lights) After a few moments, they came swarming and I couldn't have been happier than a kid in a candy shop.

Monday, June 16, 2014

The flight here was longer than anticipated. It's about 7 hrs from Honolulu to Narita but because we were going down to Fukuoka, I didn't realize that it would take an extra 2-3 hours more! It was definitely the longest flight we took since I was 19. I feel old saying this but my body just can't handle long flights like it used to. Not only was it the longest flight for me but it seemed even longer because I felt a bit under the weather.

I know, I know. Wuss! Ah, well!

So we arrive in Fukuoka and it takes FOREVER to get through customs, which I get but everyone always insist on having a hotel. We're staying with CSers so I don't have their addy on hand and so I just play the gaijin card and say we don't (which, to be fair, we don't) but that we're going to look for one as we go along. They double take as though the concept is new (which, it may be since they like to plan more than me) but I insist on a Youth Hostel.

Now, we're late to meet our gracious host and on top of that, our bag came out close to last. When we finally meet, it's amazing how fast you can hit it off with complete strangers. I love CSing because it's such a great way to meet people and also get to know a place better. Our hosts showed us her place and then we went to a great little Izakaya (Japanese Bar) and ate the recommended Ramen.

Ramen is one of my favorite foods of Japan that originated in China, came to Japan via China and I'm sure Korea. Simple but heavenly noodles with broth made from meat and veggie goodness and topped off with onions and meat of choice.

We ate and drank and had a blast and came back to exchange gifts and then sleep.

Met great people and started off our trip with awesome food. Thanks guys! See you soon!

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Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, it would make more sense to go to Nagasaki first THEN Hiroshima. We are planning on making our way down to Osaka after that so it making our way more NE would be better.

Tuesday, June 03, 2014

Just in case you are in the dark about what to do, Japan has provided you with their detailed picture instructions.

So, now you know the basics about how to decipher your ticket and know where to go to schedule your Shinkansen departures. Now, it's time to micromanage the shit out of your train schedule.

At this point in time, I don't have THAT much to really be a control freak about but there are some time crunches that we need to sort out during the last leg of the trip. Think about what you'll be doing for the day and how long it could possibly take you. Now think about what times you'll be able to make it to the proper station with your commute. Now, think about how long it'll take you to get there and what time you'll arrive. The arrival is very crucial for us because we are Couch Surfing and we need to keep our host in mind.

I don't know about you, but when I travel, I usually have a goal to see or do something on my trip.

On my 2008 trip to S.E. Asia, my main goal was to see Angkor Wat and I fixated on that forever! Slowly, as I started to build my trip itinerary, I started to add more and more things to goals but I never forgot the main reason I went on that trip. It was an added bonus that I got to travel my way from Bangkok, Thailand to Singapore then fry to Cambodia and catch a bus to Vietnam and back.

My list of goals kept on growing even as I was on my trip with my goal of Angkor Wat in mind.

I had a great time traveling and I met my goal

I now make it a priority to come up with a goal with each of my trips, whether it's a day trip out of town, around the state or during a conference :P You have to have something to look forward to while you're ON your trip.

For this trip, one of my goals is to visit Kansai and Hokkaido during the Summer. Very broad, very simple and do able, especially now that we just received the JR Railpasses to travel unlimitedly throughout Japan.